WADE EDWARD SPPER ANCESTORS
ANNOUNCING NEW
Rev. WILLIAM SPEER FAMILY
BOOK! NEWSLETTERS!
WEB PAGES!
350 YEARS OF SPEER FAMILY HISTORY IN SCOTLAND, IRELAND AND SOUTHERN UNITED STATES
4,000 RELATED INDIVIDUALS
History of One Family
Rev. William Speer (1652-??) was born in Aryshire, Scotland and immigrated to County Antrim, Northern Ireland where his son John Speer (1693-1764) and grandson John (William?) Speer (1723-1771) were born. Rev. William's five great grandsons, William, Sr. (1747-1830), John (1748-1842), Alexander, Joseph, and James, all born in Ireland, immigrated to America in the 1770's. William, Sr. was a half brother to brothers John, Alexander, Joseph, and James. Eventually they all settled in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia and South Carolina where their families prospered and grew large.
Although nothing is known about the families of Joseph or James, some branches of the William, Sr., John, and Alexander Speer families moved on to Alabama, Texas, and Florida in the 1800's, where again large families were established. The book and newsletters cover 13 generations related to our earliest known Speer.
The story of great grandson William, Sr. (1747-1830) and his descendants is told in my 500-page William Speer book published in 1998. Four subsequent newsletters also cover more on the descendents of William, Sr., as well as the descendants of his half brothers John and Alexander.
The book is extremely informative and is well researched, illustrated and documented. It is available only from me and will not be available long. This is a rare opportunity to get a book that is destined to become a treasured reference for Speer family members and a 'must-have' for all Speer researchers.
Four Speer Family History Newsletters, published since the book was written, are also available and contain the latest data, while Internet Web Sites help keep everyone up to date.
Book
WILLIAM SPEER (1747-1830)
ABBEVILLE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA
HIS LIFE, FAMILY AND DESCENDANTS
by WADE EDWARD SPEER 1998
5 Years in Preparation510 pages19 Chapters4 Appendices2,500 Individuals
600 Surnames370 Speer FamiliesFully Referenced and Cross Indexed
42 Signatures118 Tombstone Sketches33 Pen & Ink Portraits
3 House Sketches6 Monument SketchesHard Back
225 Years of Speer Family History in America
Thoroughly Researched and Documented
$50 +$10 shipping
- William Speer Sr.’s 1781 Signature on Revolutionary War IOU for Militia wages
- William Speer, Jr.’s Family Bible entries from 1788 to 1910
- Margaret Houston Speer Married Georgia’s First Millionaire in 1812
- Judge John Speer’s 1817 Signature
- William Speer, Sr.’s 1826 Will
- Alexander Speer introduced the Railroad to SC in 1830
- Alexander Speer’s 1832 Signature & Letter to President Andrew Jackson
- South Carolina’s Comptroller General Alexander Speer resigned in 1832
- Dr. Algernon Sidney Speer’s 1843 Signature on Florida Homestead Application
- First Orange Grove Planted in Florida in 1844 by Dr. Algernon Sidney Speer
- Orlando, Florida named by Judge James Gamble Speer in 1856
- 1861 Will of Joseph Rucker, Husband of Margaret Houston Speer
- Portraits of Elijah Hunt Speer and George Washington Speer in Civil War Uniforms
- 8 Grandsons and 15 Great Grandsons served in Confederate Army during Civil War
- Elijah Hunt Speer’s 1865 Signature on Civil War POW Oath of Allegiance
- John Speer’s 1865 Will
- William Speer, Jr.’s 1869 Family History Letter
- William Speer, Jr.’s 1874 Family History Manuscript
- Judge Emory Speer’s 1890 Ulysses S. Grant Address
- Eustace Willhouby Speer’s 1899 Newspaper Obituary with Extensive Family History
- Great Grandson Joseph Rucker Lamar appointed to US Supreme Court in 1902
- Cemetery List with 182 Speer Family Graves in SC, GA, FL & AL
William Speer, Sr. c1747-1830; m1 1784 Eleanor Little c1749-1795; m2 1799 Martha McBride c1752-1834.Wm. was born in County Antrim, Ireland; immigrated to America in 1772; lived in PA and Charleston, SC before moving to Abbeville Co, SC where he settled on bounty land received for his Revolutionary War services. Wm. and Eleanor built their homestead on an island in the Savannah River and raised 4 children:
1. John Speer 1784-1866; m1 1807 Elizabeth Ann Harris Caldwell c1789-1851; m2 Mary L. ?? c1798-?; John and Elizabeth had 9 children.
2. William Speer, Jr. 1788-1877; m 1811 Mary Sue Gill 1793-1879; they had 13 children.
3. Alexander Speer 1790-1856; m1 1813 Elizabeth Middleton ?-1838; m2 1839 Mary Baird Grant ?-1846; m3 1848 Caroline G. Day 1822-
1860; Alexander and Elizabeth had 6 children; Alexander and Mary had 2 children.
4. Margaret Houston Speer 1792-1864; m 1812 Joseph Rucker 1788-1864; they had 9 children.
Newsletters
W E SPEER FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLETTERS
Genealogical information for the family of Rev. WILLIAM SPEER (1652-??)
W. E. Speer, Editor
34 Clear Creek Road Marion, North Carolina 28752-9423
(828) 724-4444 e-mail: [email protected]
Here is where you can find more information on our family. Lots of information never made it into the book and new research continues to expand the database and uncover more family treasures almost every day. This new information, including family stories, genealogy updates, photos, and old family letters, is reported in the newspapers. Information on the families of half brothers John and Alexander can also be found in the newsletters. All interested family members can get on the free newsletter mailing list.
Vol. 1 DECEMBER 1998
30 pages- Speer Book Completed (July 1999)
- 200 Speer Books Distributed (to family members)
- Speer Books Donated (21 donated to libraries)
- Praise for Speer Book (everyone loves it!)
- Living Family Patriot (Martha Lola Speer Marjenhoff was 98 years old in Oct!)
- New Irish & Scottish Connections (Wm. Speer, Sr.’s father, g-father & g-grandfather!)
- John Speer Family (Half Brother of Wm. Speer, Sr.; genealogy list of 450 descendants!)
- William Speer Signature (1794!, similar to one in book)
- Portrait Found (Medora Lipscomb Scott--Mrs. Governor Wade Speer; 1883-1941)
- Calendar of Birthdays (who else was born on your birthday?)
Vol. 2 JULY 1999
15 pages- 1942 Rollo C. Speer Report
Vol. 3 AUGUST 1999
42 pages- Irish and Scottish Research
Vol. 4 AUGUST 1999 My Mom's VASSEY Family
Vol. 5 SEPTEMBER 1999 41 pages
Vol. 6 Due AUGUST 2000
Web Pages
W. E. SPEER FAMILY PLACES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Genealogical information for the family of REV. WILLIAM SPEER (1652-?)
W. E. Speer, Administrator
Several Internet Web Sites are maintained in order to share our family's history with each other and the world. A Web Page for family members only exists at MyFamily.Com (interested family members should contact me for access). Several other sites are maintained for the exchange of information with the general public. The current public sites are:
AOL Hometown http://hometown.aol.com/wspeer1161/myhomepage/heritage.html
Family Tree Maker http://www.familytreemaker.com/ftm/s/p/e/Wade-E-Speer/index.html
I also actively monitor several public genealogy Bulletin Boards with SPEER listings, including:
Speer Family Genealogy Forum http://genforum.genealogy.com/speer/
LDS SPEER Surname Board http://www.familyhistory.com/messages/Messages.asp?id=42399
Many family members make first contact with me through these public sites.
To Order Book or Newsletters Send Check To:
WADE EDWARD SPEER 34 Clear Creek Road Marion, NC 28752-9423
Books--$50 plus $10 shipping US Newsletters--$15 plus $1 shipping US
Will Share Information: (828) 724-4444 e-mail: [email protected]
Will exchange info with others willing to add to the database and share their information with the rest of our family. If you are related and have family genealogy updates, photos, or family stories and would like to share, please contact me.